Locals prepare for Selfridge sales pitch to Pentagon

Military personnel at Selfridge Air National Guard Base and the surrounding community will get their opportunity this weekend to prove the Harrison Township facility’s worth to an elite panel of Air Force officials.

After Congress in 2012 derailed a Pentagon plan to engage in multibillion-dollar cuts to the Air National Guard, including the near-elimination of the 24-plane 107th squadron at Selfridge, the Defense Department agreed to conduct a study examining restructuring of the Air Force — active duty, reserves and guard.

“We believe Selfridge is a model for joint (military) operations. Selfridge is a key piece of the pie within the restructuring of the Air Force,” said Henry Sachs, a local attorney who serves as president of the Selfridge Base Community Council. “We already know that the National Guard provides a great bang for the buck.”

Three members of the National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force will tour Selfridge on Saturday and will conduct a public hearing at a nearby hotel, where representatives of the military community and state and local government officials will be invited to submit statements.

Advertisement

The three commissioners making the trip are: Erin Conaton, vice chair of the commission; retired Air National Guard Lt. Gen. Harry “Bud” Wyatt; and Dr. Janine Davidson. Michigan Adjutant General Gregory Vadnais, commander of the state’s National Guard, will escort the group throughout the day.

The commission’s task is to quickly complete an independent analysis that will determine if and how the Air Force’s structure should be modified to best fill current and future military mission requirements with current funding.

The report and recommendations are due to the president and Congress by Feb. 1.

On Saturday, the three commissioners will receive briefings and interact with Selfridge personnel of all ranks to gain insights into force structure issues that impact mission readiness, capability and effectiveness.

Sachs and other Selfridge advocates believe that Selfridge’s status as home to the Air National Guard, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Coast Guard, and Customs and Border Protection Agency makes the Harrison Township facility rather unique.

Earlier this week, a visiting Navy admiral called the base a model for joint operations. The Base Council will emphasize the facility’s strategic location, its substantial community support, and its economic impact on Macomb County.

In 2012, the Base Council and Detroit area officials, led by U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, a Harrison Township Republican, waged an aggressive campaign to defeat a Pentagon plan that included big cuts at Selfridge.

The overall plan to slash the National Guard budget resulted in 49 governors and every National Guard adjutant general uniting in opposition to the move.

The proposal would have essentially eliminated the 107th at Selfridge, which flies 24 A-10 aircraft, and would have wiped out 560 military and civilian jobs at the base.

The Defense Department push for $500 billion in spending cuts over 10 years, and the retirement of 286 aircraft over the next five years, including 227 in fiscal year 2013, was derailed on Capitol Hill in favor of forming a national commission to study the comparative value for the Air Force of active duty, reserve and guard units.

The public hearing on Saturday will take place at 12:30 p.m. at the Hampton Inn & Suites, 45725 Marketplace Blvd., Chesterfield Township, just west of I-94 and north of M-59.

For more information, contact Marcia Moore online at dfoafstrucomm@osd.mil or call 703-571-7057.